How many forklifts do I need?
Forklifts needed from pallet moves and cycles per hour: cycles_per_truck_per_hour = 60 / cycle_minutes; trucks_minimum = pallet_moves_per_hour / cycles_per_truck_per_hour; trucks_planned = trucks_minimum x 1.15 to 1.20, rounded up. Enter your numbers below; the formula and its source are shown under the result. Part of this calculation is derived by Warehouse Machines from sourced inputs.
Time a few real cycles on your floor: travel distance, lift height and load weight change the cycle time more than anything else.
The formula
cycles_per_truck_per_hour = 60 / cycle_minutes; trucks_minimum = pallet_moves_per_hour / cycles_per_truck_per_hour; trucks_planned = trucks_minimum x 1.15 to 1.20, rounded up
Derived by Warehouse Machines from How Many Forklifts Do I Need For My Warehouse? (Acclaim Handling, March 2026): no single source states this formula, so treat the result as an estimate.
Acclaim Handling: cycle time is the time to pick up a load, transport it, place it and return, and depends on travel distance, lift height and load weight; arithmetic does not account for the real world, so add 15 to 20 percent above the calculated minimum. Turning minutes into cycles per hour and rounding up to whole trucks is arithmetic by Warehouse Machines.
Worked example: Acclaim: 40 pallets per hour with each forklift completing five cycles per hour -> eight trucks. Our arithmetic: plus 15-20% = 9.2-9.6 -> 10 trucks.
[src]Estimate only. Use your own costs and real quotes for decisions.
Sources
- How Many Forklifts Do I Need For My Warehouse? (Acclaim Handling, March 2026) (retrieved November 6, 2026)